Demons
by RedRosePetal
Summary: Everything had seemed so perfect but in one moment it all changed. Atem's disappearance had an effect on everyone. But what will happen when Atem suddenly returns. What happened to him? Can he face his inner demon to be able to put a stop a potentially even bigger threat?
1. Prologue

Hello there! I'm back with a new ficlet!

I have written the plan but I may re-write some parts.. I am hoping this idea will work!

Be warned I may take a while to update.. I'm at University so obviously that work has to come first.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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_Prologue_

For a few short months everything had seemed so prefect. Atem had lost the ceremonial duel but had chosen to stay in the land of the living. He had come back to Domino City to live with Yugi and Grandpa. The Kame Game shop was becoming more popular which was making Grandpa _very_ happy. Yugi was actually keeping up in school which was a first. Tristan was still trying and ultimately failing to flirt with Serenity, much to Joey's dismay. Tea's dream of pursuing a dancing career was looking promising. Duke's Dungeon Dice Monster game was becoming more successful, not as successful as Duel Monsters but still more successful. Everyone was doing well. It had all been so perfect. But after only four short months the happy, peaceful bubble they had been living was burst.

Atem vanished. He had gone out for an afternoon for his normal walk but never came back. Yugi had come home that day to find Grandpa in a panic as the former King had not returned. At the time, Yugi had told Grandpa to not worry as the Pharaoh was very independent and would come back eventually. Atem had left at two in the afternoon so it was likely he'd found something to occupy him which caused his arrival home to be delayed but when it got to eleven o'clock in the evening they knew that something was wrong. Atem had no mobile phone so there was no way to contact him. So, they had gone to Yugi's friends, hoping he would be there. He wasn't. So they turned to the Police. But they had said that Atem had to be gone for over twenty four hours before they would make him a 'missing person'. That night had been the hardest. Yugi had not slept at all, every noise made him sit up and look out of the window. Twenty four later Atem had not come back and no one had seen him. Having then gone back to the police, they had entered Atem as a missing person. They classed his disappearance as 'out of character' so that helped slightly with getting the search started. They had been told that they would most likely find him within the next forty-eight hours.

But they didn't. Three days after he'd disappeared, Atem had still not been found. There was very little evidence to track him; he had no phone so they could not use that method. There was only one piece of CCTV footage which only showed him walking past a small shop but that had given the police nothing to go on. Yugi had asked every one he knew if they had seen or heard from Atem but none had. His disappearance had affected everyone who knew him. It was such an unusual thing for him to have done. But of course his disappearance had affected five people in particular the most. Yugi, Grandpa, Joey, Tristan and Tea. They were all devastated that he'd just vanished. As for one they knew that it was completely out of character and secondly Atem had been fine in the days leading up to his disappearance. He had been perfectly happy which made it all worse.

The days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. Still nothing. Eighteen months later Atem had still not been found and the police had stopped looking. They had said that if they were going to find Atem they would have. The police believed that Atem was dead. But Yugi and the others didn't. They believed that Atem was alive but were having to come to terms with the fact that it was highly likely that Atem would not return, that they would never see him again. But although they were having to come to terms with that, they never gave up hope that their friend was alive.

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So there you go. This was just a introduction to the story the next chapter will have the story beginning.

I am slightly concerned whether this story will work.. I don't know I guess I shall see how you guys respond...

Please leave a review if you want to!

I shall see you soon!

~RedRosePetal


	2. Chapter 1

Thanks to my reviewers: **Divine Calibur, Chaos Twin of Destruction, vaselover, Atem-Lover4eva**, **SerenePanic**

You guys seemed to enjoy the prologue so I am hoping that you enjoy this as well!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

The mood in the house was very subdued. The two occupants of the house sat in complete silence; they did not speak or even move. It was eighteen months to the day that Atem had disappeared. Eighteen months and they still knew nothing. They did not know whether Atem was dead or alive, where he was or what happened. There was no point even going to the police to ask if anything had changed because it wouldn't have. The police gave up the search some time ago stating that if Atem was going to be found, they'd of found him or even some trace of him. They'd been told that they should start moving on but that was difficult. It was not easy to move on when they did not know what had happened. Perhaps if they knew whether Atem had died or was alive but not willing to contact them, they could move on. But the fact that they knew absolutely nothing made it impossible for them to move on. Sitting in the arm chair by the window, Yugi gazed down at the street. He could see children playing in the rain without a care in the world, he saw two teenaged brothers walking up the street. The sight saddened him as when Atem returned from his afternoon walk he could be seen walking towards the shop from this very window. So part of Yugi thought that if he kept looking out of this window he would see Atem returning. But that was not going to happen. Yugi toyed with the cuff of the hoodie he was wearing. The hoodie in question had belonged to Atem, it was his favourite. Yugi had taken to wearing it after the second week of Atem's disappearance. It was comforting to him, he wasn't sure why but it... just helped. Finally taking his eyes off the window, Yugi looked at Grandpa. He was sitting in the arm chair clasping his coffee mug tightly. He knew that Grandpa felt extremely guilty about Atem. Grandpa felt that he should have searched for Atem sooner then they would not be in this situation now. Yugi got up, walked over to Grandpa and embraced him. They both needed comfort from one another, especially today.

* * *

It was raining heavily outside; perhaps the weather knew that this was a particularly sad day. The weather didn't help Joey's mood. He was tugging through a muddy forest, in the rain looking for his damn dog. He didn't even want the dog but his sister had insisted that they get one. Joey huffed angrily as he stomped through the forest.

"I'll walk it and look after it, Joey" He mimicked, "No matter the weather I will walk it!"

Joey stomped further on, the mud squelching under his feet.

"Yeah right!" He yelled, "Now I'm the one walking in the bloody rain while you wrapped up in the warm."

There was no sign of the dog which didn't help Joey's mood. He continued the trudge through the mud keeping up his ranting. By this point he was not even aware of where he was going, his feet were just taking him somewhere while he was lost in thought. He was brought out of thoughts when his left foot connected with something and he fell over. His face had landed in mud… perfect. This was all just perfect. He slowly sat up before wiping his face on his sleeve. Swearing loudly, Joey turned to see what he had tripped on. It was… a person! Why was there a person laying on the forest floor?

Joey's eyes spotted rope tied tightly around the person's wrists and tied to the nearly tree. Joey then looked into the person's bloody face. The eyes were opening slowly, amethyst eyes. Joey's eyes widen. It couldn't be… it was!

"Atem!"

Joey was by the former Pharaoh's side in a flash. He took in the other's appearance. Cuts and bruises all over his face. His clothes torn, soaking wet, blood stained and almost hanging off him. Every part of exposed flesh was either cut or bruised. His face was pale and he looked very ill. Both arms had rope around the wrists which then was attached to nearby trees, his feet were tied together. Joey was shocked to believe that after all these months here the Pharaoh was here and alive. Well, Atem was alive but Joey was fearful for the other's condition. It looked as though the Pharaoh was lucky to still be around given his current condition.

"Don't worry. I'll get you out of here, Pharaoh."

Joey began untying the rope around the Pharaoh's wrists, which he discovered was a very difficult task. The ropes were thick and wet which made it very difficult for Joey to undo them, but eventually the Pharaoh's wrists were free. Just as Joey began to untie the rope attached to the ankles the dog came bounding up to him, barking loudly.

"Shut up!" Joey growled.

But the dog continued to bark and after a few moments Joey heard approaching footsteps squelching in the mud . His blood turned cold; there was no time to undo the rope. Sliding his arms under the limp King, who was barely conscious, he lifted him into his arms and ran off back into the depths of the forest. Not a minute after Joey had departed with the King then another man appeared in the clearing. This man was tall, muscular with short dark hair. He wore a black trench coat with dark trousers and shoes. The man stopped in his tracks upon seeing the empty clearing. He looked down at the ropes on the floor. His fist clenched. Where was he? His anger was quickly at breaking point. How had the Pharaoh gone? The man was too weak to even open his eyes for longer then a minute so how had he untied his restraints and walked away. It was _not_ possible. His anger had broken, his fist connected with the nearby tree. He had to get the Pharaoh back. He _needed_ him. He needed him for his plans, there was no way he could go ahead with his plan without the Pharaoh. Swearing loudly the man stomped off; he had to come up with a way to get the Pharaoh back and as soon as possible.

* * *

Outside of the forest Joey had run straight to the nearest house where an ambulance had been called. It arrived within a matter of minutes so now Joey was sitting in the ambulance watching the paramedic as he hovered over Atem. He didn't dare speak. Atem needed every bit of attention he could get, if anything was missed then it could spell disaster. Joey had to consider how Atem how long he had been there. It was so close to the city. How had the police not found him? Joey continued to ponder until the ambulance came to a sudden stop and the door opened.

"Atem Moto, 19. Found tied up in the woods. Lacerations to the chest, arms, legs.. everywhere. Burns, scratches, bruises you name it. Possible pneumonia setting in. GCS was 6 on the scene and has not changed since."

Joey was following behind as the doctors took Atem away and through the double doors to a room that he was not allowed to enter. Instead Joey was directed to a private room and instructed to wait. Joey didn't need to ask why he had been told to wait here. It was obvious. Atem was registered as a 'Missing Person' which meant that the police were going to come. This was proven right when two police men came and began asking him questions. He had to explain exactly where he'd found Atem and how he'd been found. Joey didn't like having to explain it again, it was difficult to describe the way he'd found Atem as it had frightened him to see his friend so weak. They seemed to ask him a million questions but eventually they thanked him and left.

Exiting the room Joey tried to find Atem, but the nurses told him that the doctors will still with him so he could not see Atem. He was directed to the waiting room, where he pulled out his phone. Flicking through his contacts he'd sent a text to his sister telling her where the dog was. He then found the contact for 'Yugi Moto'. His finger hovered over the 'Call' button for a minute before he pressed 'Call'.

"Hello? Joey?"

Joey hesitated, not knowing what to say.

"What's wrong?"

* * *

Yugi entered the hospital, Grandpa following behind, both were as white as a sheet. Yugi's purple eyes found Joey's brown ones. He approached Joey very slowly as if there was lead in his feet, mouth slightly open. Joey stood as the other approached, he didn't say anything. He waited for Yugi to speak. Yugi just stared at him for a few minutes before speaking.

"You... you found him?"

A nod.

"Where?"

"In the forest."

"Was... was he alright?"

Joey thought for a moment, part of him wanted to lie to him but he knew in this situation Yugi would need the truth.

"No.. no he wasn't. I will explain it to you fully later."

Yugi nodded. He could not take in the fact that they had woken this morning and Atem was still missing. Now they will in the same building as him after eighteen months of looking for him. The three of them sat and waited. Hours past, in complete silence, but finally a doctor appeared calling Yugi and Grandpa away. They were led to a private room with a hospital bed. Lying on that bed, was Atem. He looked so fragile with all the tubes and wires connected to him. Even from this distract Yugi could see that the former Pharaoh's skin was so pale. Atem was unconscious, one of the many machines attached to him was beeping in time with his heart rate. Another machine was connected to the ventilator in the Pharaoh's mouth, it was breathing for him. Yugi, if possible, paled even more as he took in the appearance of his friend. He only had one question at the moment. What the hell happened to him?

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That's it for this chapter. I hope it's alright.

I don't think all chapter will be this one but I didn't want to separate the things in this chapter.

Zzz... it's 11:50pm I'm going to sleep.

Please review!

See you soooooon!

~RedRosePetal


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for reviewing: **SerenePanic, vaselover, Chaos Twin of Destruction, Divine Calibur, Atem-Lover4eva, YamiKitty223**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2**

_18 Months Earlier_

"How long are you going to be?" Grandpa asked, watching the former Pharaoh tie his shoes.

"An hour, no more then normal." Atem straightened up and looked at Grandpa.

For some reason Grandpa seemed uncomfortable.

"Is it defiantly going to be one hour? I don't want you to wonder off."

Atem smirked teasingly, "Who knows could be one hour.. two.. three. Maybe I might not even come back.. I might just keep walking!"

There was a pause as Grandpa stared at the Pharaoh wondering whether he was serious. But Grandpa detected the teasing smirk from the King.

"You cheeky git, get out of here." Grandpa said, laughing, "Go on shoo!"

Atem laughed walking to the door and exited the game shop. His normal afternoon walked wasn't a particularly long one, it just took him through the town centre and then through a park on the way back. He liked doing this, it was always nice to have this walk. It just cleared his head and made him feel at peace with the world. He passed through the town and was making his way through the park when he got the feeling he was being watched. Looking out of the corner of his eye he could see a man dressed in black not too far behind him. Suspicious, the former Pharaoh quicken his pace looking out the corner of his eye again. The man had matched his new pace. The man matched the Pharaoh's pace again when he then slowed. It was time to confront the man. Atem stopped turned and looked at the man. The man had stopped as well.

"What are you doing?" Atem asked, his arms folding automatically.

"Me? Nothing." The man said, "I'm just out for a walk."

The tone of voice used made Atem distrust him instantly. The man approached never taking his eyes off Atem. They were almost nose to nose now. The dark haired man eyed the Pharaoh, smirking.

"I know who you are." The man whispered.

"Who am I then?" Atem asked, frowning.

"You are the Pharaoh."

That was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

* * *

His head was pounding. A hand went to the affected area as his eyes opened. He saw a wooden ceiling, the wood cracked due to age. Where was he? Sitting up proved difficult as his head was swimming, but he eventually managed it. No sooner had he sat up then the door creaked open. The dark haired man entered smirking down at his captive.

"Why have you brought me here?" The King demanded.

"Because I want the power of the Millennium Items."

_Oh, not again_. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Atem replied, deciding to pretend he knew nothing.

"Yes you do." The man, Bates, stated. "I know who you are _Pharaoh._ I know all about the items. I was a Rare Hunter of that mad man Marik. And now. . I want that power for myself."

Bates was approaching, pulling something silver for his pocket.

"You will help me to get it."

Atem had no time to make any sort of response before pain erupted in his side and everything went dark once more.

* * *

_2 Weeks Missing_

Despite the wooden prison he was in being made of extremely old wood it was unusually strong. The door to his prison would not give. He'd tried to kick the door, break it and even throw his weight against it but nothing had worked. But Atem would not give up. Standing at the furthest point he could away from the door, he charged. There was a bang as he collided with the door and bounced off again, falling to the floor. The door had not budged or even shown damage from his escape attempt. Groaning in frustration he clambered back to his feet using the wall for aid. The wound on his abdomen fired up as he got to his feet, his hand automatically went to the effect region. The wound was not healing well, 2 weeks after it had been inflicted it was still very painful. That was a the main injury he had apart from a few cuts and bruises... for now. Bates had threatened to do worse to him if he did not start to cooperate. It turned out the Bates had been one of the few Rare Hunters who had worked closely with Marik, so he had learnt all about Atem and the Millennium Items. Bates wanted Atem to unlock the power of the items so he could use them for a reason which the Pharaoh did not know. The Millennium Items were still in existence as they had not been permanently sealed as Atem had chosen not to move into the next world. The Ishtars currently held them, they'd sealed them somewhere to keep them safe and out of the wrong hands. Only they knew where they were they were being kept.

Sighing Atem moved over to the tiny window that was his only light source. The window was too tiny to get any use out of, he could barely see anything out of it. His thoughts turned to Yugi. He knew that the other would be sick with worry. But there was nothing he could do about it. He'd tried everything to escape but nothing had worked. He would keep trying though, it was most likely going to take time but he would escape. Somehow, he knew that he would get away.

* * *

_6 Months Missing_

Consciousness returned to him very suddenly. He was being dragged somewhere, he could feel his battered body getting a beating from whatever was beneath him. Atem did not know how long he'd been away from home now, it felt like years. Bates had become more aggressive towards him. He would punish him for not giving the information wanted. His poor body was covered in scratches, wounds, cuts, bruises, burns. He was far too weak to try and escape anymore. All he had done in that prison was lie on the floor gazing at the ceiling. Although he could not attempt to escape, he kept denying any knowledge about the Millennium Items. He could not and would not give any information about them. Part of him hoped that eventually Bates would get bored of trying to get the answers and allow him to return home. But another part of him knew that Bates was not a man to give up. Atem dared to open his eyes as he felt that he was no longer moving. Bates was standing above him, holding something that the former King could only just see was rope in his hands. Bates roughly grabbed one of his captive's wrists tying the rope around the wrist and then to the nearby tree. He repeated the process with the other wrist and then proceeded to tie the captive's ankles together. He smirked at the King, seeing that he was awake.

"Let's see if leaving you to the elements will loosen your tongue."

With that Bates left, leaving Atem tied to trees in a forest.. all alone.

* * *

_15 Months Missing_

"Tell me!" Bates screamed, kicking the king once more, "Tell me what I want to know! I am sick of waiting for you to tell me. I want the answers and I want them _now_."

A slight shake of the head was all the response he got. Screaming with rage, Bates let his angry out on the boy lying at his feet. He kicked and punched the poor boy. He was sick of waiting.

"You will tell me!"

Another shake of the head. Bates pulled out a small, sharp knife and plunged it into the Pharaoh's chest. The blade missing the King's left lung by near millimetres. Pulling it out again, Bates wiped the blade clean on the grass before giving the King on final kick and stomping away. He had to leave and calm down or he might have killed the boy. He would get what he wanted. He _would_ get it.

Atem breathed deeply, trying to stop himself moaning in pain. It hurt so much and it was relentless. He had no clue how long it had been now since he'd first been brought to this forest and he could not get away. He was far too weak. Letting out another deep breath he wondered how his body had managed to survive all this and also... how much more it could take.

* * *

_18 Months Missing_

Drip. Drip. Drip. The rain drops felt hard metal falling on his face. Drip. Drip. Drip. Why was it raining so much? It was the middle of summer... right? Maybe it was winter... the breeze felt ice cold and the snow, or that's what he thought it was, that he was lying on was extremely squishy. No. It had to be autumn but then again maybe not. He didn't know, he could only just about tell when it was morning and evening. Drip. Drip. Drip. He felt so hot but the rain was doing nothing to help that. The only sounds he could vaguely hear was his own harsh breathing and the rain. Drip. Drip. Drip. Thinking about it the sound of falling raining was so peaceful. It was like a lullaby and that sweet sound would help him drift off until the inevitable arrival of Bates. Maybe Bates would be more gentle today. Drip. Drip. Drip. Who was he kidding? Bates was never gentle. The rope attached to his right wrist suddenly pulled against him painful. Then the sound of something falling off, followed by a loud rude word. Atem sighed internally, Bates was here already. He'd hoped that he'd be left longer with the rain. A voice screamed his name and a hand touched his bruise shoulder. The voice was not Bates. It was familiar though. He'd not heard it for a long time. Slowly, the former Pharaoh opened his eyes. His blurred vision only showed someone with blonde hair. He could not make out the face. Wait.. he knew someone with blonde hair right? The stranger was talking to him, they were doing something to his bindings. Could they becoming looser? He was unable to think anymore as his conscious fled him once more. Perhaps when he woke up next time he could find out what happened and who had possibly saved him.

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There we go. I hope the ending was ok, I was not sure how to finish it. I was going to put in a part with Yugi in the present day but I wanted this chapter to be devoted to what happened to Atem.

Well, I hope you enjoy and this was worth the wait.

Please Review if you want.

See you soon!

~RedRosePetal


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks for reviewing: **vaselover, Atem-Lover4eva, SerenePanic, liuliubae, Fleur Diaz, YamiKitty223, Chaos Twin of Destruction, Divine Calibur, angel of darkness blue**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 3

Yugi sighed, looking at the prone figure in the bed. It had been nearly a month since the Pharaoh had been found. The police were looking for leads into to who had taken him but unfortunately they did not know what he looked like and what his name was. The person who could answer those questions was lying in a hospital bed and currently not conscious. They had put Atem into an induced coma to let his body heal, Yugi hadn't liked this. He wanted to talk to the former King to assure him that everything was ok. But they had to let the Pharaoh heal, just looking at the King's battered form told you he'd been through hell. Some of the wounds he had were infected because of the forest floor he'd been lying on and he had got a quite bad case of pneumonia. He was also very thin as it appeared he'd barely been fed. So, letting him rest was the best option and it seemed that it was working. But it was extremely frightening to see his closest friend as he was now. He looked so weak and fragile. Something else which had frightened Yugi immensely that morning, but ultimately turned out to be a good thing, was the fact that Atem had chocked on the ventilator. Of course, as soon as the nurse had said the word 'choked' Yugi had panicked. But it was a good thing as it meant the Pharaoh was breathing unaided although he did have a nasal cannula just to support him, but it was a good sign. However, he was still not conscious even though the doctors had revised Atem's induced coma. This frightened Yugi.. a lot.

Yugi shivered as if a cold breeze had suddenly entered the room. He hated being in hospitals, the smell, the way the floor shone... just everything about them. Although his instincts were telling him to leave, he did not. He was not going to leave Atem on his own. He had to know that everything was _finally _going to be ok. For the moment though, it was not. The once King was still not awake. Yugi put his head in his hands and let out another sigh , the whole situation was stressful. As he attempted to pull himself back together, there was a noise which broke the silence in the room. At first he ignored it but when the sound came again only seconds later he looked up. What he saw made him sit bolt upright and watch the figure before him intently. Atem had opened his eyes. For a few moments he blinked before looking around. He seemed confused which was understandable but he seemed to relax, slightly, when his eyes found Yugi. There was a short pause as they both looked at each other. Tears were filling in Yugi's eyes. He had not seen Atem in eighteen months and now.. now he was looking straight back at him.

"Hi." Yugi said, his voice was quiet.

"Hi." Was the scratchy, weak reply.

It seemed like Atem's voice had been effected by his exposure to the woods and the lack of use. There was another short pause after which Yugi jumped up and wrapped his arms tightly around the other. He refused to let go, convinced that if he did Atem would disappear again. It was only when there was a slight moan of pain from the other that Yugi did let go. He looked at the Pharaoh, tears rolling down his face. If possible Atem looked worse now he was awake. His skin still so pale, dark rings under his eyes and even though he had just woken he looked exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked, sinking back into his chair.

Atem thought for a moment, "Do you want the truth?"

Yugi smiled slightly, "Yes."

"Then... I could be better."

Yugi had to smile again, after all this time and everything he'd been through Atem was still trying to be humble despite his current state. Atem gazed around again, taking in his surroundings. From the machine that was beeping to the tubes which were dripping clear liquid into the cannulas in the back of his hand.

"How.. how did?" Atem started, his expression confused, "I remember.. a face. He said something then.. it's all blank."

"That was Joey." Yugi replied, watching the other carefully, "He found you tied in the woods and brought you here."

A pained and almost frightened expression flashed quickly over the Pharaoh's face before he could stop it. Of course, Yugi spotted it.

"Do you remember that? Being in the woods? Do you remember why you were put there or what the person who took you looked like?"

Tears had unconsciously formed in the corner of Atem's eyes. Everything that had happened over the last horrible eighteen months flashed before his eyes. Even _his_ face, the face of Bates. But... it was too soon to talk about it. Yugi had seen this, he knew that he had asked about what happened too soon. Guilt swelled up inside him.

"I'm sorry."

Atem smiled slightly and shook his head. The message there was clear. Yugi had opened his mouth to say something but the door behind them opened. Looking round, Grandpa had just entered the room. Upon seeing that the former Pharaoh was awake a smile appeared on his face. He moved straight over greet them both, the smile growing on his face. The whole atmosphere in the room had changed from one full of anxiety and worry to one of optimism.

* * *

Yugi walked through the gates to the school, his thoughts on what had happened in the morning. He'd stayed with Atem and Grandpa all morning but come the middle of the day Grandpa had insisted that Yugi go into school. He hadn't really wanted to but Grandpa was still with Atem so nothing bad was going to happen. They had asked the doctors when they be able to take the Pharaoh back home, but it was going to be awhile as he was still not well. As frustrating as it was, they knew that it would not be wise to bring the Pharaoh home too early. Yugi had been so taken with his thoughts he had not noticed that he had found his way to his form room until he was suddenly tackled to the ground with a cry of;

"YUGI!"

It felt like a three car pileup was on top of him when Joey and Tristan tackled him to the ground. It appeared that they were so excited to see him that Joey and Tristan forgot the fact that Yugi needed oxygen until Tea pulled them off. Climbing to his feet Yugi smiled at his friends. They immediately bombarded him with questions about the Pharaoh's current state. He explained that the Pharaoh had woken his morning and seemed for the most part alright.

"So, when do they think he can leave hospital?" Joey asked.

"Not for a few weeks, some of his wounds are still infected and he looks very unwell." Yugi replied.

Joey's gazed dropped to his hands; "I remember when I found him. He was lying there in the mud, tied to those trees. I don't understand how the police didn't find him. They checked those woods didn't they?"

"Maybe.. maybe he was moved there later once the police stopped looking."

Joey's expression changed to one of anxiety; "But, the question is. Who took him? And why?"

That indeed was the question, why all of a sudden had Atem returned. Of course, Yugi did not object to Atem returning to them. But something didn't feel right, something told Yugi that this was not the last time they had heard of the person who had taken Atem.

* * *

The man leant against the desk and took a bite of his apple. He stared at the figure in the bed only a few metres away from him. The boy was not alone, there was an older man with him. He was too far away to be able to hear what was being said but frankly he did not care. He took another bite out of the apple, his gaze did leave the boy's face. The boy looked terrible, so pale. An evil smirk crossed the man's face, the boy was more vulnerable now. He would be easier to manipulate now and also the man knew more. He had done some research whilst searching for this boy. Well, searching was the wrong word. To say that the man had been furious when he'd discovered that the boy was gone was an understatement, he'd been livid. But once he had calmed down he knew that the boy would have been taken here, it was the logical thing to do. So whilst the boy was given medical care he had done some digging and actually under covered some of the answers that he needed. Everything had fallen into place but now... now the man needed the boy back. The next part could not happen without that boy. But the time was not right. To take the boy now would not work as they would be easily spotted. He would have to be patient and wait for the right time.

"Would you like to go and see him?" Someone said.

The man looked around at a blonde nurse who had just spoken.

"No. Just tell him I was here." The man replied, walking away.

"And who should I say you are? A friend?"

The man stopped, "You don't. He'll know."

With another smirk on his face Bates walked away leaving a rather confused nurse behind.

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I have to apologise for being this late. A lot of stuff is happening at the moment, both bad and good. But oh well, I'll get through it and actually writing YGO helps! :3

So, I hope that was worth the wait!

Please leave me a review if you want to!

I shall see you next time!

~RedRosePetal


	5. Chapter 4

Thanks for Reviewing: **Atem-Lover4eva, SerenePanic, vaselover, Chaos Twin of Destruction, YamiKitty223, Divine Calibur**

Disclaimer:

Enjoy!

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Chapter 4

The chained gate creaked as Bates clambered over the top of it and landed rather ungracefully on the other side. As he straightened up he let out a loud swear word when he was taken by surprise as a plane flew overhead. He gazed at the retreating plane before carefully peaking round the corner of the wall. A long line of plane met his eyes; vehicles were racing up and down. Some people were piling luggage on to the waiting planes. Bates' eyes found the plane closest to him. Pulling out his phone he opened an app he had made. It allowed him to hack into the Airport's computer system. He glanced at the number on the plane which read RRP7256. Typing that number into the phone he discovered the plane was going to Cairo. It appeared that any plane that was destined for Egypt was always at this bay. Perfect. That would make things very easy for him; the only issue now was how he would get them both on to that plane without being spotted. The boy would still be injured and weak despite the medical care he was receiving. He could not put this off much longer or the boy would be strong enough to fight back, it would have to be soon. Very soon.

* * *

Yugi opened the door to the ward. He'd been spending most of the day in the hospital apart from the time where he had to go to school. He would prefer to stay at the hospital all day but his grandfather would not allow that. So he would come in the morning before school and then come back after. As he approached the nurses' desk he was greeted by the nurse who was looking after the Pharaoh.

"Good morning Yugi." She said, "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, how's Atem?"

A sigh came from the blonde nurse, "He's not having a good day. His fever is high again but he's shivering as if he's been soaked with icy water. We did expect this to happen so we're keeping an extra close eye on him. I wouldn't worry though."

Yugi was quick to thank the nurse and dash into the room. The room was dark; the curtain at the window was shut, letting very little light in. A small machine had appeared on the bedside table which was recording the heart rate of the figure in the bed. Although that machine did frighten Yugi he was glad that they were keeping a close eye on him. Yugi approached the figure lying in the bed. The Pharaoh was lying on his side with the covers pulled right up so only his head and shoulders were visible. His eyes were closed and if possible he looked paler then he had yesterday.

"You awake?" Yugi whispered.

There was a short pause before there was a very quiet answer, "I am."

"How are you feeling?"

"I could be better."

Atem still hadn't opened his eyes and his voice was barely more than a whisper. He was still so ill but at the same time was trying to be strong and not let on how he was really feeling. Yugi sank into the chair; he didn't say anything else as he tried to keep quiet for Atem's sake. He had known that it would be a long road ahead for Atem's recovery but he could not deny that he wanted to put all this behind them. But there was still the question of why Atem had been taken in the first place, that was the missing puzzle piece. Letting out another sigh, Yugi looked at his watch. It was time to leave, he never had long in the morning although he would have had longer this morning only he'd slept in. But he would always come to make sure that nothing bad had happened over night, even if that meant being late for school. He made his exit quietly after bidding a quiet 'see you later' to the half-asleep former Pharaoh. Closing the door with a quiet click and shoving his hands into his pockets, he left. He was too lost in his own thoughts that he did not notice the dark haired man dressed in a long dark coat sweep past him.

Atem vaguely heard the door close, he felt so worn out and tired that he was barely aware of what was going on round him. He wanted to reassure both Yugi and Grandpa that he was fine as he did not like that they were worrying about him, but he was currently unable to. Shifting slightly he tried to get his exhausted body to succumb to sleep. But his head was buzzing like there was a bee stuck inside him and every movement felt heavy which as making it difficult for him to fall asleep. That was extremely infuriating as, hopefully, if he slept then he would feel better. To make matters worse he had not slept the previous night so to say that he was exhausted was an understatement. There was another click, which he assumed was the door. He was too tired to attempt to look and see who it was, so he just lay there. There was a slight creak as somebody sat in the chair beside the bed. Assuming it was Grandpa, Atem opened his eyes. What he saw made his blood run cold. Bates was sat there. His eyes staring straight at him, a smirk on his face. Slowly, Bates lent forwards never taking his eyes off Atem.

"Did you miss me?"

Images of those long months trapped with Bates, flashed before his eyes. The shed that was his initial prison. The number of times he had tried to shove the door open to escape. The woods. He remembered lying there in the mud as rain lashed down on his open wounds. He remembered every single time he was struck by Bates. His brain went in to over drive as panic filled him. Why was he here? What was he going to do? Who could stop him as it was certain that he was unable to?

"You know, it's been a while since we last saw each other." Bates said, "While you have been here I have been learning."

If it was possible Atem paled even more, his eyes were still locked on Bates'.

"I will tell you what I learnt when we next see each other, which will be _very_ soon. So enjoy your freedom while you still have it."

Bates stood, gave the boy one last smirk before leaving the room. Atem's eyes were still locked on the place that Bates had previously been. His breathes became rapid and he started to tremble. What was Bates going to do? How had he found him? His heart was racing and he suddenly felt like he was disconnected from his body. He was just thought and all his thoughts were focused on Bates. His breathing become so fast that he was hardly getting any air in. He felt like he was choking and he could not stop it as all his thoughts were still focused on Bates. The minutes dragged on and on, it seemed that there would be no end. But then he felt like he had crashed back into his body. He was aware of voices around him. Something was on his face, he didn't know what it was but it seemed to be helping. His breathing was starting to calm and return to normal. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He saw a nurse holding an oxygen mask to his face and a doctor standing nearby, both watching him intently. If it was possible he felt even more tired than he had done previously. He weakly pushed the mask away before his exhausted body _finally_ gave in to sleep.

The doctor turned away from the boy to look at the terrified grandfather who had been watching from the door. Grandpa was white from shock; he had come in to find Atem gasping for breath. Having called the nurse, who in turn called for the doctor, he had stood by the door in terror.

"He had an anxiety attack." The doctor said, "He'll be alright, just leave him to sleep, his body is still very weak."

Grandpa quietly thanked the doctor and watched them leave before shuffling to the side of the bed. The sight of the former Pharaoh gasping for breath had made him feel as though his heart had stopped. Grandpa gazed at the other for a moment. He'd been told when he'd arrived that Atem was not doing well and that was evident in his face. The King was so pale and had dark rings under his eyes. Perhaps he had had this anxiety attack because of his current state. Grandpa knew that Atem did not like showing weakness so perhaps that was the reason. Sighing, Grandpa gently repositioned the covers on top of Atem before pulling a blanket from the bag he'd brought with him and then lying that over the slumbering form. He'd brought a few things from the Game shop in the hope that this would help Atem. One of the other things he'd brought was the latter's favourite hoodie which he lay smoothly on the side of the bed. He then sank into a chair and sighed once more. Hopefully… hopefully the Pharaoh would recover soon and this would all finally be over.

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Apologise for the delay! But I hope it was worth it!

Just so you know the plane number is completely made up. You probably knew that… hey hey hey! Did you see what I did there? RRP7256? Ehh? Ehh? ….. Did you get it? :P

Merry Christmas Guys… although it is boxing day… well I have 4 minutes of boxing day left… whatever… MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Please leave a review if you wish!

I shall see you again soon!

~RedRosePetal


	6. Chapter 5

Thanks for Reviewing: **Atem-Lover4eva, Chaos Twin of Destruction, Nicole, YamiKitty223, SerenePanic**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

X

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X

**Chapter 5**

The room was silent. All that could be heard was the sounds of pens scratching away against paper. One student was scratching his head in frustration. Another had given up completely and was staring out of the window. The end of the day bell rang and there was a shared sighed of relief as all the students put their pens down. The teacher collected all of their papers and then dismissed them. Outside of the classroom Yugi waited for the others, he was glad that test was over.

"Oh man, I have never taken a test that hard before." Joey said, as he joined Yugi and stretched.

"You say that about every test, Joey." Tristan replied, grinning.

"Yeah but this one was worse!"

"You say _that_ everything!" Tea laughed.

The four of them started to walk towards down the corridor and out of the school. Their moaning about the latest test they had taken soon turned to the state of the Pharaoh.

"How's the Pharaoh doing?" Tristan asked.

"He's better, well.. he has good and bad days." Yugi replied. "And, I think today is a good day."

"Did you find out why he had that panic attack?" Tea asked.

"I did but…." Yugi trailed off.

It was true that he did know the reason why Atem had had that panic attack but the reason had frightened him. Part of him did not want to tell his friends exactly what had happened, he did not want to worry them but also wanted to protect Atem. His blood ran cold as he remembered what happened.

* * *

_Yugi came out of school thinking that everything was looking up. Well, sort of. The Pharaoh had been very ill when he'd seen him in the morning but he was hopeful that things were looking up. The Pharaoh was slowly recovering and the police were searching for the person who'd kidnapped him. But he should have kept in mind that perhaps something would go wrong. He should have been more prepared for the possibility that something might happen. But he did not; he strolled to the hospital and up to the ward extremely optimistic. It was only when he entered the ward and saw a number of police men that his optimism disappeared. He raced past the officers and into the room. Grandpa was standing beside the bed, his hand on the shoulder of the figure lying in the bed. It sounded as though the Pharaoh was almost hyperventilating. He was lying on his side, the same as that morning, his eyes tightly shut. Approaching the two Yugi made to speak but Grandpa hushed him. Grandpa whispered words that he could not hear; it was unclear whether this was for the benefit of Atem or Grandpa. After several long minutes the Pharaoh's breathing returned to normal and Grandpa sank into the chair looking at Yugi._

"_He's asleep."_

_Yugi glanced at the King, who had indeed fallen into slumber. _

"_What happened?"_

"_The guy who took him came here, just before I arrived. I don't know what he said but the Pharaoh had a panic attack over it. He slept and when he woke I asked him what happened, he told me and I then had to inform the police who came to speak to him, which panicked him again." _

_There was a pause as Grandpa sighed and Yugi took in the information. The guy who took Atem had been here. How? How was this possible? How did that guy even know Atem was here? What was going to happen now? Would the Pharaoh be safe? Would the police catch him?_

"_He apologised to me." Grandpa continued a slight smile on his face. "He told me he was sorry about making us worry for me having too, in his words, fuss over him." _

_Yugi smiled, that certainly sounded like the Pharaoh. _

"_He's to humble for his own good." Yugi said, taking the other seat. "What are the police going to do now?"_

"_They will try to track this guy down, they know what he looks like, his name and because he was here they think he will be in the area." _

_Yugi ran a hand through his hair. Something wasn't right. Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling that Atem was in even more danger now?_

* * *

"The guy was back!" Joey exclaimed, "What does he want with the Pharaoh?"

"I don't know Joey, Atem never told me. I'm not sure that he really knows why he was taken or if he does then he's hiding it." Yugi replied, sighing.

"It is scary though." Tea said, "That guy is still out there. Who knows what will happen next."

The four of them fell silent but continued walking. Their walk took them past the hospital and that was where Yugi left the others, biding them a 'Goodbye'.

Entering the hospital he quickly made his way to the ward and from there into the Pharaoh's room. Atem was awake; he gave Yugi a small smile when he saw him. He was still desperately pale and so thin. It was almost possible to see the cheek bones under the skin. But he did look slightly more alert the he had the previous day. His gazed locked on Atem's arms without really thinking of it. Scars littered both arms. There was a deep scar which encircled both wrists from where he had been bound. Apparently it had been so tight that it had left a permanent scar. The other scars varied in size, some big some small. Some deep, some shallow. One long cut in particular was worrying. The skin surrounding it was bright red and swollen. That was one of the cuts that had been infected the worst and had previously been bandaged up but as it was not now suggested that it was improving.

"How are you feeling?" Yugi asked, taking a seat beside the bed.

"Ok, I think." Atem said, his voice was still quiet.

"Where's Grandpa?"

"I'm not sure; I think he said something about getting something to eat."

There was a pause, Yugi wanted to ask about the man who had taken him. He wanted to know what the reason was but he was concerned that it would upset the Pharaoh. He was in such a fragile state that Yugi did not want to upset him further or suffer another anxiety attack. Deciding against that subject he chose one that would hopefully cheer the other up.

"Hey! Have I told you the kind of pizza I love?"

A slight frown appeared on the other's face, "What?"

"My new favourite kind of pizza!"

The mention of food gave the Pharaoh an uncomfortable wave of nausea. But he did not want to stop Yugi so gave no impression that the nausea had occurred.

"I like garlic on my pizza now!" Yugi said.

"That's… that's disgusting."

Yugi flopped back in his chair, "It's the most amazing thing ever!"

Atem gave a weak, bemused smile "If you say so."

There was another pause as Yugi got lost in the memory of that pizza and Atem attempted to stop the wave of nausea he was feeling. A movement outside of the window soon caught Yugi's attention; there was a doctor outside who was talking to Grandpa. Concerned, Yugi excused himself and left the room to join the conversation.

* * *

"You must do it soon. We cannot delay much longer."

"Be patience. I know for a fact that we will join you later this week."

"No. I need to know exactly when you will get here, I need to plan."

"Well, then just plan and I shall let you know as soon as possible."

"Not good enough."

* * *

Yugi practically bounced back into the room, a cheshire cat grin on his face. The Pharaoh, who was started to feel weary, gave Yugi a confused look. Yugi just continued to grin and bounce. Apparently, he was extremely excited about something.

"What?" Atem asked.

If possible Yugi's grin grew wider.

"What?" Atem asked again, he wasn't really in the mood or frame of mind to deal with an over-excited Yugi.

"I am so excited."

Atem just gave a weak look which said 'You don't say'.

"You're going to have to put up with my garlic pizza!"

A frowned appeared, "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Yugi seemed to implode as he said; "You coming home tomorrow!"

If it was appropriate Yugi would have jumped for joy, but he knew that for one it was not really a mature thing to do. Secondly, he could see that Atem was getting tired so would not appreciate the amount of noise jumping around the room would make. So he chose to just grin madly, and the Pharaoh shared a weak smile. It was decided that the Pharaoh would be released from the hospital in the afternoon as it gave Grandpa the opportunity to have the morning to make sure that everything was ready and also Yugi have finished school so would be around to help. As Grandpa and Yugi discussed details and arranged everything with the hospital staff, the Pharaoh slipped off to sleep.

* * *

"What news?"

"The boy is being released tomorrow." Bates said, he was speaking on the phone, "They will take him home in the afternoon."

"Then that's when you have to do it. Before he gets home." The Man on the phone said.

"Obviously. We will travel directly to you. The boy is still weak so it shouldn't be hard to overpower him but getting both of us to you may take time."

"You must hurry." The man snapped, "The longer you take, the more chance they discover you."

Bates rolled his eyes, "Don't you think I have already thought about that. Stop panicking. We will be with you by Thursday evening, just be there to get us."

"Fine. Let me know when you are on your way."

With that the man on the phone hung up. Bates replaced the phone and began finding the belongings he needed. He would have to travel light as he would have the boy as well. It did not take long to pack. Moving to the window, he could see the hospital from his window. A smirk appeared on his face. Everything was falling into place.

* * *

The next day was very fast paced compared to the other days. Grandpa had arrived at the hospital without Yugi, who had gone straight to school, and delivered some things to Atem. This included some clothes for him to change into and, weirdly, a pocket watch. The Pharaoh, who had been awoken by Grandpa's rather noisy entrance, questioned Grandpa about the watch who said it would allow him to keep track on the clock. Whilst Grandpa went off to sort things out for Atem's arrival home, the nurses were weaning him off the medications. This was something they had been doing for a few days without their knowledge as a test to see if he was strong enough. As nothing bad had happened, this had meant that they were happy that Atem was strong enough to return home. Although he was not healthy yet, Atem was still very unwell but he was well enough to continue his recovery at home. It was an odd feeling for the former King having the cannulas out of his hand, they had been there since he'd first arrived at the hospital which was over two months ago so now having them out was an odd feeling. He also found it ironic that on the day he was leaving the hospital he was feeling particularly unwell. But that had been put down to the fact that there was nothing supporting Atem now so his immune system was working unaided.

By the time Yugi had arrived after school, Atem had changed and was sitting in the chair next to the bed. He still looked so pale and thin, in his hand was Grandpa's pocket watch. Yugi gave him an excited smile as he entered.

"Are you ready to leave?" Yugi asked.

Atem gave a small smile as an answer.

"Well, Grandpa is just coming. He text me to say he was in the car park."

Within the next two minutes Grandpa appeared. The only thing left to do was to sign discharge papers, and being as Atem was an adult he had to do. But once that was done they were free. The walk down to the car was slow as Atem was slightly unsteady on his feet. But they made it. The Pharaoh shared a small smile as the breeze hit his face. Grandpa was packing things into the car whilst Yugi was with the former Pharaoh.

"Yugi? Could you come and help me?" Grandpa called.

"I'm coming!" Yugi turned to Atem, "Stay here I'll be right back."

Atem nodded and watched Yugi walk around the corner. He shared a small smile, he was happy to be in the fresh air. He did feel unsteady on his feet and was planning to have a sleep once they got to the Game shop but still he was happy to be pleased. But then something was clamped over his mouth, panicking he opened his mouth to call for Yugi but there was a sickly sweet smell and everything went, suddenly, dark.

Yugi was picking up one of the bags when he heard something smash. He looked around but there was nothing on the floor.

"I'll be right back Grandpa; I'm just going to check on the Pharaoh."

Grandpa nodded. Running back around the corner Yugi's heart missed a beat. Atem wasn't there. On the floor was the smashed pocket watch that Atem had been holding. He immediately knew what had happened but when he dashed around looking for Atem he could not see any sign of him. Tears were streaming down his face as he picked up the pieces of the broken pocket watch, just as Grandpa came around the corner.

"He's gone, Grandpa."

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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! Cliff hanger!

This chapter was the longest! I couldn't really split it but oh well I think that everything flowed. I don't know… Haha!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! …. Bit late I know….

Please Review!

I shall see you soon!

~RedRosePetal


	7. Chapter 6

Thanks for Reviewing: **Atem-Lover4eva, Chaos Twin of Destruction, YamiKitty223, SerenePanic **

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

X

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X

**Chapter 6**

Yugi paced up and down, tears were still falling. He could not understand why this was happening, after everything they had been through. Why could they not get a break from all of the anguish? It was infuriating, they had been away from the King for less than a minute and then he had gone. The door creaked open and a policeman walked out he sat opposite Grandpa and Yugi was quick to retake his seat.

"The good news is that we have got CCTV footage of them. It seems that this Bates character was waiting for you to leave the hospital and when your back was turned he took Atem. But the bad news is that then the only other piece of footage we have is them approaching the airport, but it is there that we loss sight of them."

"The airport!" Yugi cried, "Why would Bates go there?"

"We don't know." The policeman said, "We've contacted the airport and they haven't seen them. Some of our officers are on the way to the airport now so I'm afraid the only thing you can do is to wait.

* * *

He could feel something vibrating in his pocket. Pulling the phone out of his pockets, Bates answered it. He did not need to look to see who it was, he already knew.

"Seriously? You have to call now? I'm a bit busy."

"Like I care, look just listen. I know where the Valley of the Kings is. I have stolen a jeep so I will be waiting for you round the back."

"Good to know." Bates said, slightly sarcastically, "Well thanks for the update but I'm too busy to chat right now!"

With that he hung up the phone. Peering round the corner he saw the plane he needed, luckily it was the closest to him. But there was no one walking towards that plane, it was still not time. Glancing down at the boy at his feet he smirked. The Pharaoh was bound, his hands tied but his feet were free. A cloth was tied over his mouth to prevent him making any noise. He was alert, he knew what was happening. He knew _who_ had taken him. Their eyes meet. Bates leered at him, kneeling so he was on eye level with the former King.

"Now, are you going to be good boy?" Bates said, patronisingly, "If you say a word during the trip you _know_ what will happen."

A flash of silver glinted in front of Atem's eyes. He knew what that meant. Bates had looked away again; he was looking round the corner. He could see people starting to board the plane. He was quick to undo the bindings on the boy. He then pulled out a small razor blade, positioned it on the Pharaoh's wrist and then placed some duct tape over it to keep it in place.

"If you dare step out of line then you know what will happen." Bates snarled.

He pushed the spot where the blade was concealed. The tiniest gasp came from the latter as the blade cut through the skin. Smirking at the response Bates grabbed the Pharaoh by the wrist and dragged him to his feet. They had to board the plane looking as normal as possible.

He had considered climbing into the luggage hold but that was not a good idea as there was no oxygen in there. So, Bates had stolen two boarding passes from some passengers. He had a vice like grip on the Pharaoh and they hurried over to the plane. The Pharaoh thought about struggling but he knew what Bates would do. If he was honest, he was too afraid of Bates to fight back. Bates was slightly worried that they would be stopped as he climbed the steps of the plane; he was still gripping the former Pharaoh. The airline crew made no impression that there was anything wrong. They greeted them with a smile. Moving up the aisle Bates made sure that the Pharaoh was sitting by the window seat as it meant that there was no escape. Atem stared out of the window; a single tear fell from his eye.

"Don't speak. Don't move. Don't do anything." Bates said, he pressed down on the blade on the other's wrist again.

Atem closed his eyes as he felt his skin being cut open. What could he do? There was no means of escape. What was he going to do?

* * *

When Grandpa had received a phone call summoning them to the police station Yugi was sure that it meant they had got Atem. Well, that's what he was hoping. They had hurried into the police station where they were immediately directed into a small room which had a circular table with four chairs around it.

"It has to be good news right?" Yugi asked, tears streaming.

Grandpa was barely able to hold back his tears, "I don't know, all we can do is hope."

As if on cue, the policemen entered the room and took a seat.

"Please say you've found him." Yugi said.

"Unfortunately not." The Policemen explained, "But we know where they are going. They were seen boarding a plane and that plane is headed for Cairo, Egypt."

"Egypt?" Grandpa asked, "Why there? What happens now?"

"We have informed the security services in Egypt and we will be in regular contact with them."

Yugi put his head in his hands, tearing streaming. At this time on the previous day he had been heading the hospital to take the Pharaoh home but now he was on the other side of the world. The policemen went on to explain how they would proceed but Yugi wasn't listening. He was lost in his own thoughts. Why did things like this keep happening? Why could they not get a break from this anguish?

* * *

Bates shoved the boy round the corner, practically squashing him against the wall. They had literally just got off the plane when Bates had noticed the surprising number of police. He knew what it meant and was kicking himself for it. He should have been more careful. Carefully looking round the corner he swore under his breath, Travis was still not here. And the police they would find them if they did not move now. The Pharaoh had seen the policemen and tried to free himself but Bates spotted this. A fist connected with the Pharaoh's jaw.

"You dare." Bates hissed, "You _dare_ to try and free yourself. You will _pay_."

He was just about to strike the Pharaoh again when he heard a car horn. Grabbing the Pharaoh by the scruff of the neck he bolted to the car, throwing the once King into the boot before jumping into the front seat.

"You timing sucks!" Bates said.

"Shut up." Travis snapped, "I could have left you there to the mercy of the police and taken the boy for myself."

Bates rolled his eyes, "Tell me what you have found out."

"The items should be in an underground chamber in the valley of the Kings. Apparently this chamber has a doorway to the next world. But the items should be there."

"They better be. We'll have to hurry they are on to us now."

* * *

Bates put his hand on the stone. The stone had strange cravings in it and various shaped holes where he presumed that the Millennium Items would go. But they were not here. He could feel the anger building up inside him. He turned round to face the other two people in the room. Travis was staring round, it was clear that he was not happy about the fact that the items were not there. The other person was on his knees, his gaze on the floor. They had made sure to weaken the Pharaoh. His nose and lip were bleeding and Bates had still not removed the blade from the latter's wrist so there was dried blood all down his arm. Bates strolled over to the boy and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

"Where _are_ they?" He yelled.

"I… I don't know!" The Pharaoh replied, "I don't know where they are."

That was a half lie. He knew that the Ishtars had the items but he did not know where they were. A fist had connected his face, even more blood poured from his mouth which caused him to have to spit the blood out. Bates rubbed his sore knuckles and walked away.

"What now?" Travis asked.

* * *

"Look." The man said, pointing at the screen, "That's them right?"

The older man looked at the screen, "Yes. That's them. That matches the description we were given. Right, track them. We have to find them now."

* * *

Travis looked around, looking for anything that could help them. Bates was pacing up and down, he was fuming. They had been standing there in silent for a long time without saying a word to anyone. Travis' eyes spotted something on the wall. Etched into the wall was something that looked like an eye, in fact it looked like the eye on the other wall?

"Bates. Come here."

Bates hurried to join him, his eyes found what Travis' had.

"That looks like…" Bates trailed off.

Frowning Travis gazed at the wall, "What if there is something behind it?"

The pair exchanged a look.

"But how do we get in?" Travis continued.

Another pause. Bates looked around. There had to be something in here which could help them. But the only other thing in the room was the boy, who was slumped on the ground. The boy couldn't help them. His frustration was growing again but suddenly it hit him. What if the answer to how to get in was currently slumped on the ground? Bates covered the distance to the boy within seconds and then dragged him over to the wall.

"Him. He can get us in." Bates said.

"How?"

Bates smirked, "Blood. Think about it, there are things that can only be opened by something like a blood payment. He is a Pharaoh after all, it should work."

"But what if we are just being really stupid and it is just a wall."

"Then we still would have hurt the boy, he deserves it."

Pulling out his knife, he prepared to split open the Pharaoh's arm. Travis gripped the Pharaoh wrist as Bates dragged the knife up the Pharaoh's right arm. Atem weakly cried out, pulling against his captors but that just created more pain for him. Within a matter of seconds his arm was covered in blood. With the blood that had got on to his hand Bates then pressed it against the wall right over the eye. The eye lit up, it was the colour of blood. The eye then split straight down the middle and an opening appeared. Travis and Bates rushed in. Sat on seven stone pillars was the seven Millennium Items. Their greedy eyes locked on to the golden items as the approached. Atem, who was clutching his bleeding arm, looked up. He saw the Millennium Items, his heart skipped a beat. If Bates and the other man got their hands on them then hell would break loose. He knew that Bates knew about the items and roughly how they worked. He could not let that happen. But, what would they do to him? They might hurt him even more. He did not want that, but he couldn't let them get their hands on the items.

Bates' hand had found the Millennium Rod. It felt so light for something that held incredible power. His eyes had locked with it, he was not quite believing that he was holding it. Once he knew exactly how to use the power he could become rich. So rich. Nothing bad would ever happen to him again. He could literally rule the world and have every one bowing to him and his power. Such small items could control the whole world and a world of magical creatures. It would all be under his control. His eyes had found another item, the puzzle. His hand stretched out to grab it but there was a weak shout and someone slapped his hand away.

"You shall not touch the Millennium Items." The Pharaoh stated, his face was deadly pale and his voice weak but he was determined.

"Oh and what are you going to do?" Bates asked, his grip tightening on the Millennium Rod.

"You will not touch the items." Atem repeated.

"Just you try and stop me."

Bates swung the rod, it collided with the side of Atem's head forcing him to smash his head into the corner of the stone pillar which bore the Millennium Puzzle. Atem fell to the ground, the pillar toppled over as well and the puzzle fell to the ground where it landed in the pool of blood that was rapidly forming.

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How about that for a cliff hanger! HAHAHAHA! EVIL!

Don't worry there is still a chapter to go!

Sorry for the wait. A lot of things have been happening over here… :/

Please review if you want to!

I shall see you soon!

~RedRosePetal


	8. Chapter 7

Thanks for Reviewing:** Chaos Twin of Destruction, Random Reviewer, SerenePanic, YamiKitty223, Babyi.G **

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 7**

The Millennium Puzzle had not been removed from the pool of blood so it sat there soaking in the blood belong to the person who had once resided in it. Unseen to the two men the eye of Wdjat glowed as more blood soaked. Travis was staring incredulously at Bates.

"Why did you do that?"

"He was going to stop me from getting my prize."

"_Your_ prize?"

"Yes, _my_ prize." Bates said, turning to face Travis, "I don't need you anymore. You've played your part."

Travis rolled his shoulders back and squared up to Bates, "I have not gone through all of this to let you take all the glory."

Travis did not wait for an answer; he tackled Bates to the ground. The two became locked in a fight, fists flying at one another. Their shouts echoed around the chamber and the sounds of fists hitting flesh filled their air. After several long minutes they broke apart both breathing hard.

"Give up yet?" Bates asked, panting hard.

"Never." Travis replied, he too was panting, "I will not let you take all the power. I want it."

"You are not worthy of it, only I am worthy of it." Bates said, preparing to pounce on Travis again.

"Neither of you are deserving of the power." A powerful voice boomed out.

A man dressed in a long tunic and with a golden key hanging around his neck appeared. He seemed to tower over the two men on the floor.

"Greed brought you two here and you have been blinded by it."

The two men had no words, both were normally tough and might fought back but there was something about this man that made them speechless.

"You shall relive your worst nightmares as punishment for your greed." Shadi said, his hand held out.

The room filled with bright light and the two men tried in vain to shield their eyes. The two slumped to the ground where they lay unconscious. Shadi stared at the two men for a moment before his eyes turned to the other person in the chamber. The Pharaoh was lying in a pool of his own blood. The source of the blood was from a large, deep cut on the side of his head. Even now it was still bleeding.

"My Pharaoh, I am sorry that you ended up this way. But do not be afraid, help will come for you." Shadi knelt and placed a finger on the Pharaoh's neck, the place were a pulse would normally be found.

There was another brief burst of light before Shadi stood once more.

"I have done all I can, my Pharaoh. I shall ensure that the Millennium Items are sealed so that no man will find them again."

Shadi stared at the limp King as if expecting a response but when, obviously, none came he bowed his head, turned and disappeared. The police would not know what had happened here. As all they would find were three people lying on the ground, with seven empty stone pillars standing beside them.

* * *

The darkness swirled all around him; it was completely out of control. It was a frightening sight and there was no way to stop it. Atem stumbled on, desperate to find some sort of exit or some way to stop the darkness. He had only taken a few steps when a memory of those long, horrible months held hostage by Bates flash through his mind. The darkness responded to this by letting out what sounded like a huge rumble of thunder. The former King flinched at the sound and had to take a moment to collect himself together before stumbling on. In the distance he could see something, whether he was imagining it he did not know but it looked like a person. He could not be sure but if it was a person then maybe they would be able to help him escape with this darkness. As he got closer he saw that it was in fact another person, who was gazing at him with a subdued expression on his face. Atem stopped and stared at the person in front of him.

"Father?"

"Atem." Aknamkanon replied. Aknamkanon wasted no time in striding forwards and embracing his son. Atem returned the embrace, feeling safe in his father's arms. "My son, I am sorry that you have had to go through all of this." Another huge rumble of thunder boomed out as another memory was awakened. "What… What is this place Father?" Atem asked, his distress was clearly written on his face. Aknamkanon looked around, he still held his son close. He knew where they were but he would need to be careful not to upset his son further. "This is your mind. The darkness represent your current state, the dark, haunting memories that you have gained have created this."

Atem pulled away from his father to look around, "How do we get out of here?"

"You are unconscious my boy." Aknamkanon said, "You cannot leave until you wake up."

Atem tried, and ultimately failed to conceal his growing distress. He wanted all this to stop. He did not want to have to deal with this anymore. He wanted to join his father in the afterlife. He knew that it was quitting but he did not care, he'd had enough. The last thing he remembered was Bates hitting him with the Millennium Rod and then nothing. Secretly, he was sort of hoping that that had ended him. That would allow him to leave this entire mess behind. Atem looked to his father, who was watching him with tears streaming down his face.

"I want to join you father. I want to join you in the next life."

Aknamkanon stretched out a hand and placed it on his son's cheek.

"It is not your time yet son. You have more to give."

Tears escaped his eyes before Atem could stop them.

"Please, I.. I can't do this."

Aknamkanon smiled, "Yes you can my boy. You are strong. You will pull through."

In the darkness around them a bright light suddenly appeared it was so bright that it was almost blinding.

"You are awaking up son, it is time for you to go." Aknamkanon said.

Atem grasped his father's wrists; his legs were giving out under him.

"No please, father! I want to join you."

The light was growing brighter and bigger. Aknamkanon lowered his son carefully to the floor.

"You are strong my son. I know that you are strong enough to come through this. The time will come when you will join us but now is not it. You have so much more to give to the world, and so much more to do. In time you will join us but for now remember that I am always with you."

Atem tried to stop his eyes from closing, but he was unable to. His eye closed and everything went dark once more.

* * *

Yugi waited with bated breath. He was looking at the supine figure in the bed. The figure was pale and connected to various tubes and wires. On the side of his head was a large dressing. The room around them was packed with various machines all performing different jobs. The room was a private one but the nurses station was directly outside the door. The Pharaoh had been in this room for over two weeks, unconscious for all of it. Yugi and Grandpa had arrived the day after the Pharaoh had arrived and not left his side since. Atem had been found in the chamber by the police, and immediately sent to the hospital in Cairo. Bates and Travis were being held by police, Yugi did not what was going to happen and to be honest he did not care. The force of the impact that Bates had delivered had caused Atem to suffer a depressed skull fracture which had had to be surgically fixed. With the amount of blood that he'd reportedly lost it was amazing that he had pulled through. But Atem had been unconscious for the whole time even after the operation but now it seemed that he was waking up.

Yugi leaned forwards and watched the Pharaoh frowned slightly. Then, his eyes slid open. Atem blinked and looked around. His eyes found Yugi.

"Atem! Hey! How are you? You ok?"

Atem flinched slightly as Yugi's loud voice bounced painfully around his head.

"Yugi, don't talk loudly." Grandpa said, "He's just had brain surgery so we need to take things slow and quietly."

Yugi gave himself a mental kick, "Sorry."

Atem had smiled slightly. He did not have anything to say and frankly he didn't really want to talk. His head felt odd and the feeling was really unpleasant. His eyes closed again for a moment before Yugi's voiced reached him.

"Are you alright Atem?"

"I will be." Was the quiet response. "Give me time."

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The Pharaoh, Yugi and Grandpa returned to Domino a month later. The Pharaoh was almost healed physically but mentally was another question. The past two years had left a lasting mark on him not just with the physical scars. The Pharaoh had noticeably withdrawn from the others. Although the Pharaoh was normally reserved this was more than that. He would spend days in his room tucked into his bed where he refused to move. Yugi and Grandpa would have to bring food up to him and leave him as they had learnt that there was nothing they could do to help, as much as that hurt them. Other days he would leave the house and not return until Yugi persuaded him to return. With Joey and the others, Atem was very quiet. He would not join in with the conversations. But on others days he was almost as he was before. On these days, Atem was more alert and aware of what was going on but he was still reluctant to speak. All of that was a result of what he had been through, although it was difficult they had been told that Atem would get through it. But, it might take time.

Yugi hated seeing his closest friend like that but he knew that they would have been extremely lucky if Atem had come through all this completely unscathed. He was currently walking up a steep hill. It was one of those days where Atem would disappear for a while. Yugi had learnt that on these days there would be a few places where Atem was likely to be. This hill was the most common. The hill over-looked the whole city and was quiet, which Atem liked. The worse part of it was this hill, it was a killer. But Yugi would always climb it. Panting hard, he finally reached the top. As he had expected, Atem was sitting there. He'd pulled his hood up and was staring at the view of the city.

"That hill is a killer." Yugi said, settling himself down beside Atem.

There was no response from Atem other than a blink. Yugi sighed internally.

"How bad is it today? Scale of one to ten."

"Nine," Atem said, still not looking at Yugi, "Possibly ten."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. How can I help?"

With no words Atem held something out to Yugi. Yugi took the object from Atem and sighed internally, he knew what it was. The razor blade still had blood on it, indicating that Atem had used it very recently.

"How many times?" Yugi asked, making sure that no disappointment entered his voice.

"Four."

"Alright. Do you want me do anything for them?"

"No."

"Ok, well you tell me when you're ready to come home. Ok?"

A nod was all the response he got.

Yugi pocketed the blade before making himself comfortable. It would take time for Atem to decide he was ready to come home. It would also take time for him to stop using the razor blades. Although Yugi had taken this one off Atem he knew that he had more. Atem had many demons at the moment. He overcame one in that chamber by stopping Bates from getting to the items but now he had more to overcome now. Yugi did not like that Atem was harming himself and his instincts were screaming that try to talk sense into the other. All that that would achieve would be to push Atem away to the point where Atem would not talk to him at all. Taking all this at Atem's pace seemed to be working and all that Yugi could do was offer support as Atem battled his demons.

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Ta da! I am done!

Apologies for the delay, I have had so much on. But I do hope this was good and worth the wait!

The things I mentioned at the end of this chapter, I have had experience with and to any of you in similar situations I just want to say that you are stronger then you know. Keep your chin up. You can get through it. xxx

Please leave a review if you want to!

Thanks to everyone for favouriting/reading/reviewing!

I shall see you.. at some point if I ever think of another fic idea..

You guys are awesome!

~RedRosePetal


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